ORONO - Michelle Weis is establishing her self as a major presence on the Maine women's hockey squad, and her efforts were recognized once more this week.

The Black Bears freshman forward was named Hockey East Rookie of the Week for the second time this year, after the scored two goals in three games for Maine. Her short-handed effort against Northeastern was crucial to a 4-2 win, and she nabbed an overtime winner against UConn at Alfond Arena over the weekend as well.

Tufts Pulls Out Game-Winner as Maine Defeats Union 2-1Vanisova Adds on Two Helpers

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Maine women's ice hockey improved their overall record to 10-6-2 (4-3-1 WHEA) as they pulled out a 2-1 victory with the game-winning goal scored by Catherine Tufts in the final minutes of regulation play. With this victory, the Black Bears have already accumulated as many wins as they have in each of the past three seasons.

Scoring opened up 6:13 into the match, off a one-timer by Daria Tereshkina for her second goal of the season. Tereza Vanisova made this scoring opportunity a possibility, stealing the puck away from Union as they attempted to clear it out of their end. She dropped it back to Brittany Kucera positioned at the point, who found Tereshkina open in the middle of the ice sliding a perfect pass her way as the Black Bears once again established a first period, 1-0, lead over the Dutchwomen (3-9-2, 2-2-0 ECAC).

With 12 minutes left in the middle frame, the Dutchwomen narrowly escaped a goal by Vanisova that would have doubled Maine's lead. Her shot had the puck bouncing around behind Union goaltender Coco Francis, flirting with the goal line as a Union player pulled it out just before it fully crossed over into the net. It was such a close call that the referees had to review the play to be sure the puck did not go in.

ORONO - Maine women's hockey has enjoyed a surprising bounce back year, sitting in 12th in the PairWise rankings with a 10-6-2 record. But it's not only the Black Bears' personal record that will be on the line this weekend, but also, a Hockey East record.

The Black Bears will host Vermont Saturday and Sunday, and will aim to shatter the Hockey East women's hockey attendance record, currently standing at 2,136. In order to do so, they're pairing with The Ashley Wade Foundation to support a good cause.

Junior forward Cailey Hutchison grew up playing hockey with Ashley Wade, who was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and deemed unable to play college hockey. The Ashley Wade fund was then established to help children who suffer from chronic illnesses, delivering care packages to sick kids who need a boost. Hutchison said Wade's own battle inspired her to bring the cause to UMaine.